[BenjiSG]

I would be careful about defining who would go into FIRST's overall "Top Tier." I think that there is significant enough a gap between a group of a few teams who are consistently on Einsteins and very nearly win/have won in many recent years and teams who do exceptionally well in their own regions and in individual World's fields but don't have the same Einstein's results as that initial top tier, aka FIRST's second highest tier of teams.

I would say that in NE, only 195, 125, and 1519 would really belong to that second tier of FIRST teams, with the teams you listed being 3rd tier teams who are on the edge of jumping up to 2nd tier but require more and better consistent results before they could really make it. 3rd tier teams would be more so defined by very strong local results, but a fall off on the international level. Teams like 4564 is certainly on the come up, but I believe it will take more years at the level of their more recent results for them to truly rise up into that 2nd tier.